Poker Night at Rainbow Bridge
by stress
Summary: [DEAD] sequel to At the End of the Rainbow After being sick and tired of the tension around the LH, certain Rainbow Bridge lodgers lock their fellow newsies in the poker room.
1. Author's Note...

**Author's Note:  One of these days I'd like to just finish all of my stories. *sighs* Yeah right.  Anywho, I've started another fic. *waits for the cheers to die down* Thank you all, you're too kind.**

This is a semi-sequel to my 1st Rainbow Bridge Lodging House story, _At the End of the Rainbow.  I say semi-sequel because it takes place after the events in that story, and contains many of the same characters._

As _At the End of the Rainbow was Stress and Jack's story, this story is going to try to focus on Riley and a new character, Pain._

For any character profiles, please visit the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House: http://www.geocities.com/Instituteofgrace/

Now, this is a *weird* story.  The format, I mean.  The first four parts of the story are the "prologues" written in the point of view of each of the main characters.  The "prologue" is a simple introduction that gives a basis on why a character reacts a certain way during the actual "story" part.

After the four "prologues", there will be the actual story -- but it won't be too long, though.  As per the title, the story is set one poker night at the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House.

After the story part, there will be four "epilogues".

Depending on the acceptance of this story, I might continue along these lines to write more RBLH stories.  I'm intrigued about this writing style -- you know, a little insight on a character, a one chapter story, and then a little more insight on the character and then the end of the story.  And, of course, it helps that I find the characters at RBLH amusing and fun to write about.

I only hope you all agree.

Now, since this is one *long* author's note, I'm going to put the disclaimer here and *then* start the story.  Excited?  You should be! *J/K*

**Disclaimer:  I don't own the Newsies (the Disney Newsies - ie. Jack/Cowboy) nor the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House (*bows to Iris and Dice, the lovely webmistresses*).  I do, on the other hand, own Stress, Pain and Riley.  You like them?  Feel free to put them in your stories!  *Just let me know so that I can R&R***

**Plug:  And I'll just give you a quick plug (or two) before I leave you to read the story (if I actually have anyone who ****wants to read this after my *long* author's note).**

1) Make sure you check out the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House -- http://www.geocities.com/Instituteofgrace/

2) And it might help (though it's not necessary) for you to read _At the End of the Rainbow.  It's a good story, if I do say so myself._

O.K., I'm done now.  Run along and read.  And don't forget to review, k?  Thanks!

**Stress**


	2. Prologue ~ Pain & Riley...

Pain's Point of View

Hi there.  My name is Susannah Bodnar, but I haven't used that name since I was fifteen and my entire family was wiped out during a nasty bout of influenza.  Instead, all of my pals call me Pain.  Don't laugh, it's my true nickname.  My younger brother Thomas, younger by two years, gave it to me after a pretty tough sibling fight we had when I was eight years old.  Tommy was the only one who called me by that, though, until now.  Now that I'm a newsie up here in Canada - Niagara Falls, Canada to be exact - I've decided it was time to use a nickname.  I mean, everyone else does.

Wait, you don't know what a newsie is?  Well, I guess I better tell you then.  As a newsie, newsie being the slang term for newsboy or newsgirl, I make my living by selling newspapers to customers on the street.  I live in a lodging house a block or two away from the distribution center.  

The Rainbow Bridge Lodging House, called that due to the proximity to the real Rainbow Bridge, is a marvelous place with marvelous people living inside -- Iris, Dice, Stress, Rae, Lucky, Angel Face, Moneybags, Raider, Puck, Cole, Lips, Moth, Taps, Bailey, Leon, Candy, Hazel, Jack, Race, Mush, Spot, Chump, Teddy Bear and Riley.  Especially Riley.

Riley, Riley Hanson.  Words cannot describe the feelings I have for that young man.  In the month or so I've been here at Rainbow Bridge, all I've heard about was the entire "Jack-Stress-Riley" triangle that had occurred only a week before I had arrived.  It seems that Riley had a thing for Stress and tried to break her and Cowboy up.  It didn't work, obviously, and there are times that there's quite a bit of tension hanging around the lodging house due to Riley's insistence to live in the same lodging house as the other two.

But, heck, I don't mind.  As long as Riley's living here, I got a chance.  Right?

Riley's Point of View

Nice to meet you, there.  I'm Riley, though I'm sure you already heard of me.  I mean, after what happened here last month *everyone* has heard of Riley Hanson, the girlfriend stealer.  But I'm not going to talk about that yet.  Instead, I'm going to talk about my life.  And what a fine life it is!  I love being a newsie.  It's so hard to believe that it took me until a couple of weeks ago to become a newsie.  Until then I was living over at a boy's home, since the orphanage kicks you out upon your eighteenth birthday.  God, I hated that orphanage.

Back onto me being a newsie.  I always begged, borrowed and stole everything I needed, sweet-talking those I needed to to make sure that I survived.  But that all changed when I met Stress.

I remember the day as if it were yesterday.  I was just hanging around downtown when I ran into Stress and Cowboy, fresh off the train.  I lost my heart to her at once.  I brought her to the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House and made friends with her.  With my goal in sight, I decided to start working for a living.  O.K., I admit it.  I knew that if I became a newsie, then I would be able to move into the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House, as long as I paid my lodging fees.

Unfortunately, I guess that she never felt the same way.  No matter how hard I try, Stress remains with Cowboy.  But that doesn't mean I plan on stopping any time soon.

Sure there are other girls out there.  And they are all special and cute in their own way.  But there's just something about the one I have my eye on and I won't stop until she's mine.

Or until I find someone better.  Hey, it is possible.  But, when I have to compare them to Stress, I don't think it's too likely.


	3. Prologue ~ Stress & Jack...

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Angel Face, Iris, Dice and Rae for reviewing!

**Iris** ~ Don't worry, I replaced the prior chapter and made corrections!  Thanks for telling me!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stress' Point of View

Stress here.  How are ya?  I guess you want to hear a little bit about me, huh?  Well, I'm sure you're able to tell from my *lovely* New York accent that I'm not from around here.  Me, I'm a Queens girl; I mean, I did live there for almost seven years.  But then again, I'd rather be considered a Manhattanite; I was there for four years before me and Jack came up here.

Not like it was our idea to come to Canada.  After the boys' lodging house burned down, almost all of our friends decided to head up North where Iris and Dice used to live.  I didn't want to go at first, but Jack finally convinced that it would be for the best.

And it wasn't bad at all, I must say.  The only negative thing there is up here is Riley.  I get all hot and bothered when I think of how hard he tried to break me and Jack up.  The nerve of him!  If it were up to me, I'd punch him dead in the face for all the underhanded tricks he tried to pull.  And it will be a **long time before I forget how he tried to tell Jack that I slept with him.**

But Jack told me to forgive and forget.  "As long as he leaves ya be," he says, "den we won't do nuttin' ta him."  Fine thing for him to say.  Jack already got his hit in!  I swear, it's times like these that I think Dave rubbed off on him a little too much.

So I've been nice, talking to Riley like he never tried anything at all.  I still treat him just the way I did when I didn't know that he was going to try to split Jack and me up.  Though I must admit, that gets me a wee bit worried.  I hope that he doesn't think that I like him that way cause I don't.  And, as long as Jack is by my side, I won't.

But if something ever happens to Jack...  What?  It's nice to know that someone else likes me too, even if it is someone who is willing to disgrace my name to get my attention.  A little odd, I must say, but he _does like me._

  
Or maybe I'll just get some nice revenge for what he put me and Jack through.  Either way, I could have quite some fun with Mr. Hanson.  

Jack's Point of View

Francis Sulliv-- No, no, that's not my name anymore.  My name is Jack, Jack Kelly.  Howdy.  I'm the resident Cowboy in these parts.  And no, I ain't from the West.  I got my nickname because I'm going to move out to Santa Fe one of these days.  Until then, I have to settle with being a City Cowboy.  Or in this case, a Canadian Cowboy. 

That's right.  I, Jack Kelly -- never Francis Sullivan, am no longer living in the city where I was born and bred.  When one of Race's unsupervised _lit cigars started a fire in the lodging house I had been living in for the past six years, I was forced to leave good old New York.  I, along with my girl, Stress, hitched a ride on a train and made my way up to Niagara Falls.  I live here,  in the Rainbow Bridge Lodging House, with a whole mess of my Manhattan pals.  It was very convenient that two girls who lived in the girls' lodging house in Manhattan - the Bottle Alley Lodging House - knew of a great Canadian Lodging House.  Because of Iris and Dice's connection to Rainbow Bridge, me, Skitts, Mush, Blink, Dutchy, Jake and, of course, the great king of Brooklyn himself - Spot Conlon- made our way up North, bringing our girls along for the ride._

Great people up here in Canada.  There ain't no Delancey's up here and especially no Snyder waiting for me.  Yup, life here is pretty perfect.

Well, as good as it can get.  Nothing is perfect, I know that.  In this case, my imperfection lies in the handsome, yet incredibly devious face of one Riley Hanson.

I hate Riley.  Simple as that.  If it wasn't for my pride, I would soak him.  But I was afraid that Stress might have had feelings for him so I didn't, instead telling her to leave him be.  Stupid really.  I know now that Stress wanted to hit him as much as I did for the lies he told about her.  And now I can't change my mind and look like an idiot.

But, I swear, one of these days I'm going to let Riley have it.


	4. The plot...

**Author's Note**: O.K., I have a nice little short part for you all.  I'm sorry it's so tiny, but I'll have more for you soon! 

Thanks to:

**Lucky**

**  
Angel Face**

**Iris**

Rae 

For their reviews *MWAH*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Lucky, Angel Face, Rae, Dice.  Come heah!" Iris cried as she motioned to four of her fellow Rainbow Bridge Lodgers to follow her into the bunkroom.

"What's goin' on deah, Iris?" Lucky asked once all the girls had entered the bunkroom and Iris had shut the door behind them.

Iris grinned mischievously.  "Are you'se goils up fer some fun tanight?"

Dice rubbed her hands together.  "What do ya got in mind, Iris?"

"I was jist in da pokah room playin' a quick game wit' Pain an' Riley.  I had a lousy hand so I folded an' watched da two o' dem play out deah hands.  As I did dat, I watched Pain.  We awl know how much o' a crush dat Pain's got on Riley, but Riley's too busy starin' at uddah goils ta notice her.  Anyways, as I watched her, I had ta grin.  She looked so lovesick taday.  So I came up wit' a plan.  I t'ink we should find a way ta help get dem two tageddah."

"Dat's a great idea, Iris, but wheah's da fun in dat?" Rae asked.

"I'se gettin' deah, Rae.  Now, we awl know how much Pain likes Riley.  An' we awl know how much Riley is inta Stress," Iris paused as all the other girls nodded.  It would be a long while until any of them forgot the time Riley tried to break Stress and Jack up by telling lies about her, "so I figah we get awl o' dem in a room.  If Stress is wit' Jack, an' dey show Riley how much dey love each uddah, maybe Riley'll realize dat he ain't got a chance.  Den Pain will be right deah an' he might jist t'ink o' her.  Den dey kin awl be happy tageddah.  An' dat way we don't hafta worry 'bout awl da tension dat's been in da lodgin' house lately."

"Ooh, I like dat idea, Iris.  Jist one question.  How da heck are we gonna get da four o' dem in da same room tageddah?" asked Angel Face.  "'Membah da last time Riley an' Cowboy got too close?"

The last time that Riley and Cowboy were talking to each other, it resulted in Jack giving Riley a nice shiner.

"Don't worry, Angel Face.  Dis is wheah we awl get ta have fun.  When I left da pokah room, Riley said he was goin' ta sit out on da porch an' wait for some o' da uddah boys ta come home ta git anuddah game goin' while Pain said she was goin' ta read in da library.  An' I know dat Jack an' Stress are in da pokah room right now.  Dey always spend an hour or so aftah dinnah in da pokah room aftah dey's shoah dat awl o' da uddahs have left.  Awl we hafta do is git Riley an' Pain ta go ta da pokah room an' we lock da door.  Den we don't let dem out 'til we'se shoah dat dey awl like each uddah.  Dat way we git ta have some fun an' we don't hafta worry 'bout stupid fights around da lodgin' house."  Iris brown eyes gleamed behind her glasses as she told the other girls all about her plan.

"Dat sounds like fun!" smiled Lucky.  "I'll go tawk ta Pain."

"Count me in.  I'll go git Riley." Rae grinned devilishly.

"Wait a sec, Rae.  I t'ink it would be bettah if Lucky got Riley an' you'se got Pain." Dice interrupted, noting the expression on Rae's face.

"Why, Dice?" Rae questioned, turning her devilish grin into a puzzled look of innocence.

"Cause I didn't forgit dat Riley tol' Stress dat you'se an' Jack weah seein' each uddah.  I know dat you'se still sore at him." Dice told her.

"Fine, ya caught me.  I'll tawk ta Pain, instead." Rae shuffled her feet and frowned but brightened suddenly.  "Maybe da stupid Cowboy an' Riley will have a fight in da pokah room while dey's in deah an' den I'll be rid o' both o' dem."

"Only you'se, Rae, could be happy ovah sumting like dat." Angel Face laughed as she saw the look of determination on Rae's face.  "Well, Lucky and Rae, go find dose two.  Me an' Iris an' Dice will wait by da door o' da pokah room ta make shoah dat Jack an' Stress don't leave."

"Sounds good ta me." Dice agreed.

"Dis is shoah gonna be one interestin' pokah night at Rainbow Bridge." Iris said gleefully.


End file.
